The Omaha Sunday Bee Magazine Page
,e favorite
rra
n
How They
Devote
Themselves
to
Nursing the
Wounded
and
Amusing
the Men
in the
Trenches
rTIOU-PIOU." as the French' con
r" mon soldier Is called, and Tomm:
x Atkins, as the English privats
Is nick-named, though much of the time
fcelf troien In the trenches of the allies
and frequently food for German powder
nevertheless are having In one war
very enjoyable and nnusual time. These
common soldiers of the French and Eng
lish armies find themselTes being nuned
and entertained by the most famous and
singers, !aneera and y . ?
beauties of Europe. V
k Noble duchesses visit ,
(hem at the front with
gifts of pipes,' cigarettes
end tobacco. Famous
feeadllners la vaudeville
warble tmialo hall du
ties to them in trench!.
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The Photograph Below Shows Ida Rubensteln, the Idol of the Parisian
Stage, Entertaining in her Nurse's. Dress a Wounded Turco. The
Toet D'Annunzio Threatened Suicide Because Mile. Rubensteln
Would Not Smile Upon II Ira Half so Charmingly as She Is Smiling i
. for the Foor Soldier. On the left Is Seen Mile. Rubensteln
in One of the Very Different DressesShe Wore Before the War. )
'An Unusual Photograph from France Showing Anna Held, the Well
Known Musical Comedy Star, About to Start for the Trenches In Her
Ambulance. Miss Held Is in Her Service Uniform. Her Gun, How
ever, Is Only to Be Used for Defense. German Helmets Decorate
the Car's Front, and on the Right Is Anna Held in One of the
Frivolous Dresses She Wore Before the War Sobered Her.
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And when thy are wounded and sent to
the hospital they have the Joy of being
nursed by grand opera prima donnas, ladies
lot tbe celebrated Russian ballet and prize
(beauties of the Paris stage.
"Literally "Plou-Hou" and Tommy have
'turned the tables on fortune's darlings of
'the epposite sex. Those plpfs and cigar
jettes and tobacco, and warm socks knitted
S fair hands, and songs heard In the
trenches which they never would bave
heard otherwise, and tender nurslug In tbe
hospital, exlt them in the same way that
applause In tbe theatre and offerings of
flowers. Jewels, pet dogs of pedigree and
limousines formerly exalted the givers.
"Plou-Plou" and Tommy have been trans
formed into prima donoss, and great sing
ers and dancers whose notes and pirouettes
have a market value of a dollar or so
apiece are tbe first to do them honor.
Mme. Calve, the idolized Carmen of New
York Metropolitan Opera audiences. Is
Ited Cross nurse lu the French hospltsls
ai Toulon.
It is re ported that Calve la an excellent
nurse, shirking none of the disagreeable
duties of that profession. Hor greatest
reward comes with "Plou-Plou's" amaze
tcent and dtllght on learning that it la tbe
treat Calve herself who has Just sung to
iiim at UU bedside tbe "Cigarette Bong"
from Carmen." Calve enjoys H ss much
as ' Piou-Plou' does, phe writes about It
to her friends: v
"I sing duties to tbe wounded to soothe
in? in and lull then to aleep when they are
f elting ?eur seet songs of France that
snake them abed tears of jor, and war
aongs for those who, after the healing ot
their wounds, are going back to defend
poor France "
Ida Rubensteln, most famous ot all Rus
sian dancers, whom D'Annunslo loved, and
for whom he wrote his drama "Saint Se
bastlen," presented to Francs In Paris a
fully equipped hospital. Including her own
services as nurse. It Is said that she de
votes not less than sixteen hours out of
each twenty-four to these duties Ma
Rubensteln. wbo up to the beginning of tbe
war waa probably the most luxurious, pet
ted and spoiled stage beauty In Europe!
Mme. Line Cavalleri probably the most
celebrated opera singer and beauty In the
world, ts devoting all her time to the care
of wounded soldiers in French hoepitala.
Altbouga aot a robust woman, aha performs
all the duties ot a nurse. And when her
grateful charges are convalescent she de
lights In astonishing them with such sing
In if as tbey never dreamed of hearing
end nevdr would have been able to bear
without Brit serving as a target tor a Uer
man bullet.
Duting holiday week Tommy Atkins, at
the battle front In Flanders, enjoyed a per
tet riot of English plum pudding and Eng
lish musio hall entertainment. Seymour
Hicks and his London theatrical company,
together with half a hundred vaudeville ar
tints, crossed the channel and motored to
the firing line In Belgium. Their arrival
threw a whole army corps of Tommies Into
spasms of Joy.
' Among aiage people well known In Uls
country who are devoting themselves to
making French and English soldier
tented In the trenches Is Anna Held- She
frequently visits different points along '.he
battle front with gifts for the soldiers.
From Psrls she sends the following account
of some of her exciting experiences:
"I bave always bad to move about tbe
roads -warily when making these trips be
cause ot JofTre's veto on women, for it the
wrong kind of officer meets you he sends
you bsck to Paris. On this occasion I
passed through the French tines without
knowing It this war Is so unspectacular
and almost before I was aware ot what was
happening my car was surrounded by a
squad of Uhlans.
"1 explained to the lieutenant who I was
and my mission, pointing to the heap of
tobacco and cigarettes In the car, but he
replied in perfect English:
M 'Oh, that's an old trick. It won't work
again. You are not the first woman spy
we have caught. You must come and see
the major.' . . .
"There waa nothing tor It but to comply.
I was caught near Albert, and very soon I
was in the German camp near Peronne.
Terribly frightened I was, too; tbe Uhlans
were ao big and strong sad stern. The
major turned out to be a short, stout msn
with a grizzled gray mustache. I showed
him my passport, but he dldnt seem to un
derstand and summoned a Junior officer.
"A taU. slender young man with an ideal
tango figure appeared, glanced at the doc
ument, and in perfect Eugllsh with Just a
alight Yankee twang that made me th'ill
with hope, aaid: 'Why, yes. Herr Major, it's
all right. This Is Mlaa Held. Don't you
know her? he ts ot tbe theatrical world.'
"After that all wet well. I was treated
with great courtesy and was cheered en
thusiastically when I distributed my tobac
co and cigarettes In one ot the trenches
In return I received several spiked helmets
as eouvenlra and was escorted safely out
of the lines.
"All my women friends are asking me
what is the chief Impression I have re
ceived from my visits to tbe front. It Is
the extreme,' unbelleveable contrast be
tween the carnage and gayety In the
trencher Both the Germans and the alllaa
have turned their trenches into veritable
vaudeville halls, and often tbe troops spend
the evening singing, dancing and reciting.
"Sometimes the Oermana alng to thu
French and vice-versa, each song being ap
plauded. The trenches In places are ao
near one another that It ts quite easy to
hear. This gayety follows tbe grm busi
ness of death-dealing. Imagine men who
spend the day" hacking one another with
bayou eta and pouring lead out by the ton,
and then afterward ainging aongs to one
another! It only shows that men can
make the best ot fighting, Just aa they can
of everything.
"Another impression I have ts one ot In
tense admiration for the women nurses, es
pecially those at the base hospitals. No
body w ho haa not aeen the thing can Imag
ine the horrors ot a base hospital. It is
there that you realize what a frightful
thing, a wicked thing, a basely Inhuman
thing U war.
"I am no suffragette, but let me say here
and now that the women are facing the or
deal magnificently.'' '
Ns '
Una Csvalierl, in the Costume In Wh ch She Nurses and Sings to Wsuu Soldiers.
Copyright, 1015. by tbs Star Company. Great Britain Right Reserved.
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